No Going Back
by Shade the Raven
Summary: As the war against the Empire rages across the galaxy, many lose everything. Sometimes, that drives a man to that dark place known as revenge, at any cost.


**No Going Back**

 **A Star Wars One-shot**

 **By Shade the Raven**

All copyright material property of their respective owners

There was a moment, once upon a time, when her eyes were filled with such life he thought the would beam forever. Cream skin that glowed in newfound radiance matched only by her smile of infinite joy. The words _I love you_ danced from his lips over and over as he rushed to her, scooping her up in arms powered by indescribable bliss. Russet hair played over their cheeks as if to seal their faces away in a concealed dimension of love meant for them and them alone.

A moment forever frozen in the electrons of the holo-image that sat just off his left arm, a moment of heaven captured forever, doomed to haunt him forever.

The gusts of wind and rain from the grayed sky above shook the cockpit slightly, so he brought the nose of his Y-Wing up mere inches to crest the next wave. His fist clenched the stick, ten percent concentration, ninety percent rage. It had been on a day like today when the star in his life has been snuffed out, the day she had died. Some would have call it the price he paid for being an idealist, standing up to the un-bowing order of the galaxy that was the Galactic Empire. His squadron mates called it his cause, his reason to fight on against tyranny. To Kyr Birnakari, it was all he could see at night when he closed his eyes, all he could hear in the day. Always whispering in his ears, he claws always in his heart.

They had arrived on Iribar only hours too late to stave off the Imperial bombardment that froze her eyes forever in fear and pain, and while Kyr and his brethren had destroyed the newly-arrived occupation force in reciprocity, it did little to quell the screams he would hear in the years to come. Agony bound to the one who had caused it, the cruiser _Harrowed Venom_. For all the missions Kyr had been dispatched on, and every oppressing pawn shot down, never had that name surfaced within reach again.

Until now, when it's patrol had brought it back to Iribar. Back to its nest of destruction, right into this hand for vengeance.

"Blink, can you tie into the ion guns? You can be rear seat instead of Palleran."

His R2 comrade something in the negative, making his teeth clench, "Then delete the software block and tie it right into your processor! We need all the firepower we've on this!"

A moment of silence, then the cannon above his head snapped to attention, scanning the horizon. The last piece of his scattered plan was in place. First, he would disable the _Venom_ , then he would bomb every square inch of the cruiser into the ground. No survivors, no witnesses. Only the wreck would stand as a monument to his loss.

One kilometer after another, it came slowly into view among the clouds, moored to a dark tower above a fresh cut within the mountainside. The Imperial forces had finished their first outpost here within recent memory, but what he hadn't known to be there before was the garrison of defending TIE Fighters that would oppose him. Kyr could feel the anger rising in his throat, but he tried to shake it away. Destroying that ship was all that mattered now. _Esta...forgive me, my love…._

Suddenly, pulse after pulse from his topside cannon shouted to life, Blink wailing an alert. Two TIEs had noted his wake even among the torrents and turned to pursue. The droid's haste caught one dead center and dropped it powerlessly into the crush, but its partner broke away wide before turning back to return fire. Emerald bolts boiled the water in front of him, forcing his nose off target. Rolling on his side to present his smaller profile to his foe, Kyr's had tightened on the trigger. It had to be a clean hot, a perfect shot, his Y-Wing had only two torpedoes.

Whatever he yelled at the top of his lungs was somewhere between the rave of a lunatic and a wounded animal as he fired before pulling away in a climb. Both missiles flew straight and true towards the underbelly of his beast. But it was a long distance shot, and the Imperial alarms were blaring. The engines of the _Harrowed Venom_ began to glow, its guns snapped to attention. One of the ventral guns fired hastily, but all too accurately, catching one of Kyr's torpedoes and detonating it harmlessly. The second sailed on and caught its target in the side. A few of the engines dimmed for a moment, but it wasn't enough to put the cruiser down.

The Y-Wing suddenly shook violently as its shields caught the side-on blow form another pair of incoming TIEs. Yanking his turn to loop around, Kyr brought his nose to face them so both he and Blink could fire. His lasers shredded the wing of one, but Blink's shots were wide, allowing the Imp flyer to hit him again in the cheek. Crossing nose against nose, he dove back to the waters and set his eyes back on the _Venom_. He had to catch it before it was unleashed, a single bomber stood only a little chance in prolonged combat.

His R2 fired again and again towards the rear, but Kyr kept his belly as low as it would go until the racing rocks forced him up again, in prime striking range. Scarlet fangs leapt out, cutting into his target all down her backside and up the spine before the heavy turbolaser rife forced him away again. Four more TIEs screamed in from both sides, joining the hunt.

"Blink, set ion cannon to auto and see if you can speed up the shield recharge!" he yelled as another blast clipped past one of his engines. _Come on! I just need one good run! Come on, COME ON!_ His mind screamed over and over, but the Imperial fighters would not give him pause. Every twist, every turn or climb was met with more and more firepower.

Only when red pulses rained down from the clouds did he remember to breathe through clenched teeth. Cutting down three of his hunters, Kyr raced up into the clouds as an X-wing blazed planet-ward, the colors of his kin alive on its wings. "You know, Kip and Palleran are pretty pissed at you right now, trying to do this on your own."

"Then why are you here, Vilkas?"

"One, because you're my brother. Two, when we get out of here, I'm going to punch you in your crazy face." The X-wing peeled away from Kyr to give chase to another quartet of incoming TIEs, "And three, because if you die here, Esta would never forgive me!"

Blink squeaked in merriment as the Y-Wing doubled back towards the _Venom_ , which was now free of the tower and turning its full broadside at him. His hands shook from the trigger as his fired over and over again, trying to break the shields of the larger vessel. Again, the heavier enemy fire forced him back and away. "Blink!, Link the ion cannons to the blasters! Everything forward! Vilkas, if you have torpedoes, hit the cruiser!"

Two streaks of stellar white leapt from the X-Wing's nose in a snap-shot. This time, both missiles slammed into the opponent's bow, rocking the larger vessel back and turning its attention away. Kyr yanked the throttle back to slow his approach and pounced again, raking red and blue fire against the enemy's engine block. At the last possible second, he pulled the stick into his lap and slammed the bomb release button. The entire hold of proton ordinance emptied from the Y-Wing and onto the _Venom_ , blasting free part of its drive system and ripping massive craters into its hull. This time, _Venom_ 's heavy guns hit home on the bomber's neck, bouncing him helplessly into the air and blowing his shields away.

He couldn't remember calling for his brother, but Vilkas' fighter rose into view and looped around, shredding the heavy turret. "Kyr! Come on! Get it back!"

Suddenly, something small, swift and lightning fast cut the air between them. When he looked over, Kyr's eyes widened in horror as the X-Wing to his right twitched and sparked a deathly mark, "Vilkas, VILKAS!"

"Live…" was all Kyr could make out from the static as the snubfighter detonated from another direct hit. Another blur past his eyes, then the squealing of an R2, as whatever he saw was now behind him. It carried the spherical shape of the TIE cockpit, but its wings were angled inward like the wings of a diving hawk. Its sheer speed matched its look, racing past Kyr with ease at too great a rate for Blink. They came at him again from above. Sliding left and right to dodge them, one clean shot connected, his astromech's dying howl matched by the sparks jutting from the hole melted though its body.

His body felt numb now, there was nothing left to remember. Whatever alarms were yelling at him faded away, his legs heavy at the rudder. There was only one move left now, as the Y-Wing rolled its belly to sky and began its dive, nose to nose against the _Harrowed Venom_. The new TIEs hesitated only for a moment before the lead opened fire again at the same instant Kyr pushed the throttle down as far forward as it would go. The Y-Wing cried out as one of its engines was blasted free, sending him into its death spiral.

But the frantic panic and fleeing crew of the _Venom_ filled his heart with joy. _Do you see it, Esta? Do you see your justice?_

The body of the bomber plunged into the bridge of the larger cruiser as a doomed arrow, finally breaking the _Venom_ 's back. The two halves of the beaten warship shuddered down into the base of the mountain and detonated like a new sunrise along Iribar's sky. Just as her smile once did, so long ago.

 _ **End**_

Greetings again, . Been a long time since I've been around.

This is a little scene I created at 30k ft in the middle of the Atlantic, but it was a blast to write in such a blur. I hope you all enjoy it as much I as enjoyed creating it.


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